


in the meantime

by OedipusOctopus



Category: Haikyuu!!
Genre: Fluff, Futurefic, M/M, Sick Fic, Tea, estbalished relationship, love language of gift giving
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-12-20
Updated: 2020-12-20
Packaged: 2021-03-10 00:07:18
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,405
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27885001
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/OedipusOctopus/pseuds/OedipusOctopus
Summary: Akaashi starts a tea club at the office because Bokuto showers him with gifts of herbal infusions every time he visits and his pantry is only so large.
Relationships: Akaashi Keiji/Bokuto Koutarou
Comments: 2
Kudos: 27





	in the meantime

**Author's Note:**

  * For [mirrorwaves](https://archiveofourown.org/users/mirrorwaves/gifts).



> ahhh i hope you have a lovely, safe, warm holiday!!! enjoy your break from school!!! <3 
> 
> I hope you enjoy my first attempt at bokuaka,,,
> 
> title from [in the meantime](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PCsGRCf8T9Y&ab_channel=RHINO) by [spacehog](https://open.spotify.com/artist/3NZE8jDD2cCzd4vUyZ5CQQ?si=aJA-sUA9QDqfqqlbc-0eDQ)

He buys nice baskets, lined with blankets patterned in pale clouds and warm suns, because they’re on sale. He buys himself a new kettle, glass instead of plastic, because it’s on sale and he’d rather take his used one to the office. He mulls over the dozen or so different brands of agave syrup and pourable sugar crystals before deciding on the two-for-five deal. He sifts through his silverware drawer, contemplating which Perfect Tablespoon he’s most willing to part with and lands on the matte baby blue one— he considers the rainbow multichrome one, but remembers it came in a gift set Bokuto gave him four years ago for his birthday and dismisses the thought. 

As he sits at his dining room table, cutting orange and yellow construction paper into triangular bunting, he idly wonders which flavours he’s most willing to share, given Bokuto’s extreme enthusiasm each time he’s handed Akaashi a hastily (but no less lovingly) wrapped bundle of whatever herbal infusion he’s stumbled upon that somehow, inexplicably makes him think of Akaashi. 

The citrus ones hold a special place in Akaashi’s heart— and his pantry— because they remind him of Bokuto, bright and bold and refreshing each time he’s able to take a drink. But the earthy ones, the greens and the blacks, quite apparently remind Bokuto the most of Akaashi because they’re  _ warm and feel like home,  _ so Akaashi knows he’ll have a hard time willingly taking those from his collection. This is all not to say the whites and the fruity blends aren’t dear to him— they are, in their own way, because Bokuto usually supplies them with a vivacious  _ Spread your wings, ‘Kaashi, _ or a fervent  _ To broaden your horizons, Keiji. _ And the ginger ones— how could Akaashi forget the  _ To add spice to your life while I’m gone _ Bokuto had so earnestly imparted upon him?

But ultimately he must, for the sake of his pantry space. It’s only a few more visits from his beloved before his entire dry-goods section is completely overwhelmed by sachets and tins and boxes of assorted tea leaves. And maybe— though it’s likely an artifact of the optimism so lovingly instilled in him by his perfectly sunshine-y boyfriend— providing this outlet of flavourful hot beverages will curry enough favour with the editors beneath him that they might actually start meeting deadlines. 

Akaashi smiles to himself as he pulls immaculately white string through punched holes in the bunting. He’ll share the bountiful love wrapped into thoughtfully gifted parcels of sweet and earthy and fruity and sometimes spicy, and the office tea club will be a smashing success. 

~~

_ [8:34] << [image] _ _  
_ _ [8:34] << Tea Club, sponsored by Bokuto Koutarou _

_ [10:16] >> !!!!!!!!! _ _  
_ _ [10:17] >> I’m a sponsor <3 _

~~

“‘Kaashi!” The full, near ear-splitting voice of his love calls down the hall, echoes off the minimalistically bare walls of the entryway. 

Akaashi groans, half-heartedly pushing himself up on his elbows. His comforter is too hot, a little itchy, but the sheets are soaked with the buckets of sweat that spilled from his pores all of last night. The fever patch stuck to his forehead slides down into his right eyebrow. 

Thunderous footsteps come closer, closer, to the rhythm of the pounding at Akaashi’s temples. He spares a glance at his bedside clock and sees that he’s been asleep for five hours— Bokuto’s awakening comes just in time for the next dosage of cold medicine. It’s still hard to believe that his body has decided to betray him so right now, as the volleyball season has just ended and Bokuto is finally able to come to Tokyo for more than a weekend. 

Of course, it has nothing to do with Akaashi pushing himself and his team extra hard the last few weeks to ensure there would be no work-related issues to keep him from Bokuto during this visit. Of course not. 

The door to his bedroom swings open with much less force than Akaashi usually anticipates from an over-excited Bokuto, blessedly. Bright eyes, wide and gold and something Akaashi has missed dearly the last month, peek around the edge of the doorframe. “Hey, ‘Kaashi.” Bokuto’s voice is quiet— as soft and tender as Akaashi has ever heard it. “Were you asleep? Sorry, I got so excited to see you I kinda… forgot for a sec that you weren’t feeling too hot.”

Akaashi can’t help the smile tugging at the corner of his mouth. He couldn’t bear to say it, but his chest already feels lighter, a smidge less congested, at the sight of Bokuto gently shutting the door behind him. “Hey,” he rasps through the soreness in his throat. 

Bokuto frowns. It doesn’t look quite right on him. “I brought you tea.” He holds up a cloth bag in his right hand, one of the reusable ones Atsumu has quite apparently forced upon all of MSBY in his single-minded quest to save the planet. 

“Of course you did.” Akaashi lifts the comforter from his lap, shivering as the chilly air of the apartment hits him full force. Grimacing, he pulls the blanket back over himself. 

“Oh, but that’s not all!” Bokuto walks to Akaashi’s side and sits next to his boyfriend, dumping out the contents of the bag onto the bed. Akaashi starts taking stock of the items— cough drops, more cold medicine, a few fever patches, and of course, tea. Two boxes. “I got a box for you and a box for the office tea club! Y’know, since I’m the official sponsor and all!”

Warmth wedges between Akaashi’s ribs as he picks up one of the boxes, looks over the label. 

“It’s called ecchi— eucha— uh—”

“Echinacea,” Akaashi calmly supplies. A cough bubbles up from his lungs, sending him into a wheezing fit. 

Bokuto slides a broad hand over Akaashi’s back in soothing circles, waiting for Akaashi’s breathing to calm down. Once Akaashi doesn’t feel like his lungs are being torn apart by glass shards rattling around in his ribcage, Bokuto says, “The lady at the store said it was really good for colds! I know you prolly worked your editors super hard recently, so make sure they get some of this so they don’t get sick, too!”

“I don’t think that’s how viruses work, Bokuto.”

The hand on his back freezes. Bokuto’s frown deepens. “Really? I drank three cups of this on the way here so I would be protected from your cold because I know you’re gonna say we can’t kiss because you don’t want to get me sick, and I wanted to tell you that it’s no problem!”

Akaashi huffs out a laugh. “That’s definitely not how viruses work.”

Bokuto lifts his hand from Akaashi, leaning forward until their noses almost touch. “But I wanna kiss you and you’re not gonna let me! I promise I won’t get sick!”

As if Akaashi could say no when Bokuto’s eyes are so big and round and pleading, as if Akaashi’s resolve isn’t crumbled to pieces under the weight of the mucus congesting his sinuses, his chest, the fog clouding his brain. He could blame it on the veil of sleep still clinging to the edges of his mind, but even in his current state of sickness he knows he’s really, really missed Bokuto and that’s to blame for the fervid way he fists his hands into Bokuto’s t-shirt, the excessive force with which Akaashi presses his lips onto Bokuto’s. 

Say what you will about Bokuto Koutarou, but the man’s excitability is something not a single soul could doubt. He pushes back against Akaashi, moving his mouth languidly but no less fervently, drawing out a gasp from Akaashi. He wastes no time in slipping his tongue into Akaashi’s mouth, exploring and prodding and turning Akaashi’s kneecaps to jelly. 

Before long— not nearly long enough, in Akaashi’s (arguably compromised) opinion— Bokuto pulls away, and his slight breathlessness sends an arrow through Akaashi’s heart. “I missed you so much, Keiji.”

Akaashi loosens his grip on Bokuto’s shirt, letting his hands trail down Bokuto’s pecs, over his abs, down to rest on his thighs, close to his knees. “I missed you too, Kou.”

“Drink lots of this tea, kay? I have tons planned for us!” 

Chuckling, Akaashi holds out the box to Bokuto. “Fine, fine. Be a dear and make a cup for me.”

His grin is blinding. “Anything for you!” 

Akaashi matches his grin, because he knows Bokuto means it.

**Author's Note:**

> i hope you enjoyed!!! <3
> 
> come scream at me on [twitter](https://twitter.com/OedipusOctopus)!


End file.
